shito ryu karate

[ShadowGoomba]

*M_G*,

 

So far it seems that Shito ryu is very big on katas(something that I think sould be only a minor part of any MA). I will still visit the dojo(still haven't gotten to it yet) but from what i have heard, I don't think it is for me.

[Kumite988]

Shito ryu was oringinally a very effective self defense martial art. Nowadays it is refined and polished, however still very effective. Shito ryu has so much more to offer than just self defense however, so maybe you should rethink your decision. HOWEVER if you ONLY want self defense I suggest taking a self defense course, maybe at a local community center.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I've observed that many self defense classes offered at battered women shelters or just community centers in general are usually not effective/practical. That isn't the case for all of them, I'm sure, but just what I have observed.

[ShadowGoomba]

really,

 

you can't become skilled in Sd and fighting in only three weeks. I think that krav maga or WC kung fu are better styles for me, that's all.

[ShadowGoomba]

really,

 

you can't become skilled in Sd and fighting in only three weeks. I think that krav maga or WC kung fu are better styles for me, that's all.

[Coco]

If katas werent important, then all these styles wouldnt have them. I think its very important to learn katas, beacuse they arent just a bunch of funny looking moves to the sides, and advancing, each move actually has an explanation and can be followed by hundreds of techniques/combos. Katas also help alot on building technique and adquiring good form when fighting. Aside from its wide range of katas, I think shito ryu is a very good style all around.

[ShadowGoomba]

as far as katas,

 

When I was in TKD, practically ALL we did were katas. Plus, the moves in the katas were never explained. it is not that katas are worthless, they can be useful for practicing moves by yourself. But since my previous TKD class, which was all about looking good in kata compitions, I have lost my taste for them.

[Sasori_Te]

Sahdow, this is a problem with MANY styles, not just TKD. The problem is, I have found, that the instructors have no idea what the katas are for. They don't teach proper bunkai and oyo technique.

 

On that same vein I think knowing between 5 and 10 empty hand kata plenty to base any system of martial art on. If you seriously delve into even one kata you can derive an entire system from it. This is as it should be since each kata represents the techniques, strategies and philosophy of the originating master. I'm speaking specifically about the original Okinawan katas passed on from the great masters from the lineages of Shuri Te, Tomari Te and Naha Te.

 

Before you can truly appreciate kata for what it is you need to be able to break kata down into it's component parts: footwork, body mechanics, breathing and individual techniques. This is a simplified list, but a good start. There are also exercises that can be done with kata to better understand the not so obvious techniques that are being presented.

 

Good luck and don't give up on kata. Without it you just have a watered-down shadow of an art.

[Coco]

Yes, now that Sasori has brought that up, I guess it depends mostly on the dojo, rather than the style. Personally, in my dojo, we learn every bunkai, application and self defence move derived from each defence, and we use attacks as done in bunkai, everything is fully explained. HOWEVER, I am pretty sure alot of shito ryu schools out there just do the katas because you have to, and dont really get into it.